Refrigerator



May 30, 1933. D E I HAUSER 1,911,210

REFRIGERATOR Fiied July 18, 1931 2 Shets-Sheet 1 AWE/W198 J5 Pans/m USE/Q A r TOE/YE) May 30, 1933.

D. E. RUTISHAUSER REFRIGERATOR vFiled July 18, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet E v E E wwT TA w NM 7 EW. 02 MEJ iv 23 ay as, less Patented RUTISIELAU'SM @F ST. LQUIS, MISSQ URI, ASSEGNQR T0 COMPANY, 01' ST. LUI$, MISSQURI, A CORJPQRATKON @F DELAWARE ELEE'RKGEMTQR Application filed July 1a,

This invention relates generally to refrigerators, and more specifically to refrigerators of the display case type, the predominant object of the invention being to produce an improved display case refrigerator of such improved construction that currents of cold air I may be caused-to move through the display case over a course which will result in the meats or other foods which are displayed in 9 the display case being subjected to the maximum cooling effect of said cold air.

Prior to this invention United States Letters Patent No. 1,299,175,; owned and controlled by the assignee of the present inven- 15 tion, were granted on April 1, 1919, on a reeo ture of the present invention resides in the frigerator structure which resembles in a general way the structure of the present invention. However, a substantial difference between-the patented structure and the strucfact that in the patented structure a separate refrigerating unit is associated with a display case and air is blown through the refrigerating unit wherein said air is chilled, after as which the air referred to is caused topass through pipes arranged within the display case. in the structure of the present invention no separate refrigerating unit and no pipes are-employed, but instead the display 0 case itself constitutes a refrigerating unit and the air is forced over a predetermined course which causes the articles displayed to be subjected to the maximum cooling efi'ect of the cold air.

The patented structure referred to functioned with the maximum eficiency and the structure of the present application was devised not because of any. lack of eficiency in th operation of said patented structure, but

ac solely to produce .a structure which would be simpler and less expensive than the patented structure.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the improved dis lay case refrigerator.

5 l ig. 2 is a horizontal section on the staggered line 22 of Fig. ll v Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, wherein is shown for e the purpose of illustration, merely, one emportion 6".

1931. serial No. 551,643.

with proper transparent wall portions where by persons may view the articles of food displayed within the display case Arranged within the display case and at the lower portion thereof is an ice-supporting grid G, which comprises groups of angle bars 1 and 2 arranged at an approximate right angle with respect to each other. The angle bars of each group are spaced apart from each other so as to provide spaces 3 between the various adjacent angle bars, and preferably the grid G inclines downwardly toward the front and rear walls of the display case from the approximate longitudinal center thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. lit will be,noted that the grid G is spaced upwardly from the top surface of the loottom wall of the casing to provide a space or passageway 4:, which extends from end to end of the grid. Also, as shown in Fig 3,

the top surface of the bottom wall of the casing inclines downwardly from the front and rear walls of the casing to the approximate longitudinal center of said bottom wall, and a drain 5 is provided for water which results from melting of the ice.

Disposed at the right-hand end of the casing of the display case refrigerator A when viewed as in Figs. 1 and 2 is a housing 6, which comprises a vertically arranged upper portion 6 and an outwardly flared lower The lower portion 6 of the housing 6 includes an outwardly and downwardly inclined wall 7 which serves a function to be hereinafter referred to. i The interior of the housing 6 communicates with the passagewa 4 already referred to herein, as shown clear y in Fig. 1, and located within said housing is a suitable air-moving device 8, such, for instance, as an electric fan. At the end of the casing of the display in Fig. 1, the inner wall of said conduit i the shelf 11.

moving through the openings 3 between adcontacting at its lower end with the bottom wall of the casing and being provided at its upper end with an angularly arranged airdeflecting portion 10. The outer wall of the air conduit 9 and the outer wall of the housing 6 aid in the support of a shelf 11 on which articles of food are placed for display. Preferably this shelfis imperforate,and intermediate of its opposite ends said shelf is supported by angle bars 12 which extend from front to back of the casing and are supported by the front and back walls of said casin Also, above the shelf 11 the casing of t e display case is provided with a second shelf 13 which is suitably supported in place and preferably is formed of suitable mesh material, such as heavy wire screening, through which air may pass.

In the use of my lmproved display case refrigerator chipped ice, or chipped ice and salt, are passed through the doors 14 in any suitable manner and are placed on the grid so that said chipped ice, or chipped ice and salt, are maintained between the grid and The electric fan 8, which is connected to a suitable source of electric energy, is placed in operation and air is thrown by the revolving blades of the fan against the inclined wall 7 of the housing 6.

The air so thrown by the fan is deflected downwardly by the inclined wall 7 and is discharged into the space 4 beneath the grid G, some of said air passing directly through the space 4 and other portions of said air jacent angle bars which provide the grid, into the ice chamber between the grid and the shelf 11, through which ice chamber said air passes longitudinally to a point adjacent to the discharge end of the space 4 where said air again passes downwardly into the space 4. The air which passes directly through the space 4 and the air which passes through the ice chamber then moves upwardly through the conduit 9 and is discharged above the shelf 13, where said air spreads through the space above said shelf 13 and passes downwardly through said shelf into the space between the shelf 13 and the shelf 11, said air then being drawn into the open.

upper end of the housing 6 by the fan 8 and being again circulated over the course described.

The direction of travel of the air which is circulated through the display case is already be greatly reduced so that the air which is discharged from the upper end of the conduit 9 will be quite cold. This cold air then moves through the spaces above the shelves 11 and 13, whereby the articles of food displayed on said shelves will be subjected to the refrigerating effect of said cold air.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator comprising a casing, means within said casing for supporting articles of food therein, an ice chamber within said casing, air-movin means for forcing air in proximity to said ice chamber and moving same through said casing, and means including conduits at opposite ends of said casing arranged in substantially vertical relation for controlling the course of said air, the lower ends of said conduits being located in a plane lower than the ice chamber.

2. A refrigerator comprising a casing, means within said casing for supporting articles of food therein, an ice chamber within said casing, said ice chamber including ice-supporting means which is characterized by the ability to permit air to pass therethrough, air-moving means for forcing air in proximity to and through said ice chamber, and means including conduits at opposite ends of said casing arranged in substan-. tially vertical relation for controlling the course of said air, the lower ends of said conduits being located in a plane lower than said ice chamber.

3. A refrigerator comprising a casing, means within said casing for supporting articles of food therein, an ice chamber within said casing, said ice chamber including an icesupporting grid comprised of spaced elements between which air may pass, means including conduits at opposite ends of said casing arranged insubstantially vertical relation for controlling the course of said air, and airmoving means located in one of said conduits for forcing air in proximity to and through said ice chamber.

4. A refrigerator comprising a casing, an ice chamber within said casing, an air passageway disposed immediately adjacent to said ice chamber, a wall separating said ice chamber and said air passageway, said wall being pervious to air, air-moving means for forcing air through said air passageway and said ice chamber, and means including conduits at opposite ends of said casing arranged in substantially vertical relation for controlling the course of said air, thelower ends of said conduits being located in a plane lower than the ice chamber.

5. A refrigerator comprising a casing, an ice chamber within said casing, an air passageway disposed immediately beneath said ice chamber, an ice-supporting grid separating said air passageway and said ice chamber, said grid being pervious to air and water resulting from the melting of ice within the ice chamber, air-moving means for forcing air through said air passageway and said ice chamber, and means including conduits at opposite ends of said casing arranged in substantially vertical relation for controlling the course of said air, the lower ends of said conduits being located in a plane lower than said ice chamber.

6. A refrigerator comprising a casing, an ice chamber within said casing, an air passageway disposed immediately beneath said ice chamber, an ice-supporting grid separat ing said air passageway and said ice chamber, said grid being pervious to air and water iesulting from the melting of ice Within the ice chamber, means including conduits at opposite ends of said casing arranged in substantially vertical relation for controlling the course of said air, and a shelf for supporting articles of food withinsaid casing, said shelf being characterized by the ability to permit passage of air therethrough and air-moving means located in one of said conduits for forcing air through sald air passageway and said ice chamber.

7. A refrigerator comprising a casing, an ice chamber within said casing, an air passageway disposed immediately beneath said ice chamber, an ice-supporting grid separating said air passageway and said ice chamber, said grid being pervious to air and water resulting from the melting of ice within the ice chamber, means including conduits at opposite ends of said casing arranged in substantially vertical relation for controlling the course of said air, a shell for supporting articles of food within said casing, said shelf being characterized by the ability to permit passage of air therethrough, and being arranged above and in spaced relation with respect to the top wall of said ice chamber which also serves as a shelf for supporting articles of food and air-moving means located in one of said conduits for forcing air through said air passageway and said ice chamber.

8. A refrigerator comprising a casing, means within said casing for supporting articles of food therein, a chamber containing refrigerating means within said casing, airmoving means for forcing air in proximity with said chamber and moving same through said casing, and means including conduits at opposite ends of said casing arranged in substantially vertical relation for controlling the course of said air, the lower ends of said conduits being located in a plane lower than said chamber.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto aflix my signature.

DONALD E. RUTISHAUSER. 

